African Film Festival celebrates 20 years

By WashU

Free festival takes place March 27-29

Wilmetta Toliver-Diallo, a lover of movies and a student of Africa, had a vision to introduce St. Louis audiences to films from Africa. The goal, she said, was to showcase the hidden talents of African filmmakers and the diversity of the continent’s nations and cultures. 

Some 200 films later, the African Film Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary with award-winning movies, a master class from leading producer Ekwa Msangi and an appearance by actor Ntobeko Sishi, star of the movie, “Laundry.” The festival will feature 12 films and runs from March 27-29 in Brown Hall at Washington University in St. Louis. Admission is free. 

“Film is the perfect way to learn about the past, think about contemporary issues and open up your visual imagination to the diversity of Africa: the cultures, religions, languages, urban life, rural life,” said Toliver-Diallo, senior assistant dean in Arts & Sciences and a lecturer in African and African-American studies, who stages the annual event with the African Student Association. Here, Toliver-Diallo shares more about the festival’s mission and its upcoming lineup.

How do you select the films for the festival?

The first few years, I depended on the New York African Film Festival because they had a traveling series. But over time, I started to hear from filmmakers who wanted to be part of the festival, or I’d learn about a film that was winning big awards in Berlin or being showcased at Cannes. We work to have a good mix — dramas, comedies, science fiction and Africanfuturism. But it’s equally important to have different regions of the continent represented. We also focus on animation and programming for the Saturday Youth Matinee for two reasons — to give voice and space to Africa’s talented animators, and to serve the many families who attend the festival year after year. Parents are always looking for activities that help their children better understand the world around them, and animation does that in a way that is fun and entertaining. Read more here